Orienting device



Jan. 3, -1939. R DUUS 2,142,559

ORIENTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 24, 1937 lulu" E6. 4 EA V .DUl/S PatentedJan. 3, 1939 PATENT OFFICE,

oamm'nvc DEVICE Ray Duns, Long Beach, Calif., assignor to Lane WellsCompany, Los Angeles, Calif., at corporation of Delaware ApplicationNovember 24, 1937, Serial No. 176,243 J llclaims.

My invention relates to orienting devices, and amongthe objects of myinvention are:

First, to provide an orienting device which is adapted to beincorporated in a tubing string adjacent a tool requiring orientation,said orienting device being so arranged that upon applying fluidpressure through the tubing string and slowly rotating the same, a risein pressure occurs when said orienting device occupies a predeterminedrelation in azimuth to the direction of inclination of the well bore; 7o

Second, to provide an orienting device which is capable of repeatedoperation while in the well bore whereby the apparent position of theorienting device and itsassociated tool may be checked and rechecked toinsure proper orientation;

Third, to provide an orienting device which, although relying on apressure increase in the circulating system for its operation,incorporates a circulation valve so arranged that full circulation ,maybe had, if'desired;

Fourth, to provide an orienting device employing pressure riseindication which may be used in conjunction with practically all typesof deflecting tools, such as knuckle joints, through which circulationmust be maintained during operation; whipstocks, whether of thepermanent or removable type; as well as other tools, such as impressionblocks; I

Fifth, to provide an orienting tool which incorporates a backcirculation valve to facilitate free entry of well fluid duringinsertion of the tubing string into the well bore;

Sixth, to provide an orienting device which is particularly compact indesign and occupies a small diameterwhereby the orienting tool may beused in well bores oi small size;

Seventh, to provide an orienting device which may be employed in wellshaving only a slight inclination from the vertical, and which operateswith increased accuracy as the inclination of the well bore increases;

Eighth,- to provide an orienting device oi. this character which isparticularly simple and rugged of construction, capable of continued usewithout servicing or repair, and which is positive andfefflcient initsoperatic'nr with the above-and other objects in:view;'as

may appear hereinafter, reference is directed to theaccompanying-drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view of a well bore,

a tubing string and deflecting tool with my orienting deviceincorporated therewith;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of my orientingdevice taken through 2-2 being well known in the art of directionaldrilling.

of Figure l, and showing the. adjacent tubing string and a deflectiontool stem iragmentarily;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through my orienting devicetaken substantially through 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view, similar toFigure 2, showing a modified form of my orienting device.

The principal elements of my orienting .devlc are contained within abody member I, in the m form of an elongated hollow cylinder internallythreaded at its lower end to receive the stem'Dl "of a deflecting toolD. In the present instance the. 'deflecting tool is in-the form of aknuckle joint,

but the stem DI, which forms no part of the pres- 15 cut invention, mayconstitute a connecting link removably secured by a shear pin to awhipstock, or may constitute the collar-of a bit retained by a removablewhipstock, these various structures The body member I is provided withaplurality 20 of longitudinally extending guide ribs 2 along its innerwall, which are separated by channels 3. Near their lower ends the ribs2 merge into a spider 4, and the channels 3 form passages through thespider.

An orienting valve housing 5 is slidably mounted between the severalguide ribs 2. The housing 5 is substantially cylindrical and isprovided'with a partition 6 intermediate its ends. The upper 80 surfaceof the partition 8 is flat andforms a ball race I. l

The ball race 7 is intersected by a substantially radially-disposedabutment 8 having a vertical wall in which is formed a port 9. The port8 communicates with a passage in leading downwardly through the abutmentand partition 6, so as to discharge through the lower end of the housing5. An orienting valve II in the form oi a sphere is positioned freelyupon the partition 6 so that it u may roll over and aboutthe ball raceI. The port 9 is so located'that its axis intersects the center of theorienting valve II when thevalve engages the abutment and is in contactwith the adjacent side wall 0! the housing 5, as shown best in Figure 3.Operation of the orienting valve will be brought out in detailhereinafter.

I The spider I isprovided with a centered, interfnally threaded openingin which is mounted an adjusting plug i2. A spring i3 is interposed'between the adjusting plug i2 and the partition 6 so as to hold thehousing 5 in an upward position with respect to the guide ribs 2. Thespider forms a stop, limiting downward movement of the housing. In orderto prevent rotation of the housing with respect to the body member I,one of the guide ribs 2 is provi ed with a key-wayld into which extendsa key 11 I5 extending radially from the housing '5'. The key pinoccupies a predetermined angular relationship with the abutment 8.

The upper end of the-valve housing 5 is internally threaded to receive acirculation valve I6, which is in the form ofa plug and the lower end ofwhich forms a retainer wall "to enclose the orienting valve II. Thecirculation valve I6 is provided with a reduced upper end which isprovided with a valve face I1. Also, the circulation valve is providedwith a bore I8 communicating from its upper' end into the orientingvalve chamber. The upper end of the body member I is internally threadedto receive the lower end of an adapter head I9 having a-boretherethrough and a valve seat at its lower end adapted to coact' 20, isprovided on the outside of the body member I to indicate the position ofthe abutment 8 in the orienting valve housing; As shown in Figure 2, theabutment 8 is shown as -occupying an offset relationship of 90 degreeswith respect to the inclination of the deflecting tool, but may be anynumber of degrees. The approximate num- ,ber of degrees of this ofisetis noted and the deflecting tool is run into the well bore. Prior torunning the deflecting tool, a suitable inclinometer has been lowered,from the record of which has been determined the'inclination and azimuthat the lower end of the well bore.

Wheii tlie tool is lowered into position, fluid under pressure isintroduced at the top of the tubing string from a suitable pump P, andthe tubing string slowly rotated. With the arrange j ment illustrated,this rotation should be clockwise, as indicated by the arrow in Figure3. Assuming that the well bore inclines from vertical, and this is mostalways the case, the orienting valve I I tends to ride against the lowerside of the ball race I with the result that as the abutment 8 rotatesto the lower side, the port 9 moves into engagement with the ball ororienting valve II. When this occurs the pump pressure rises, and thiscondition can be readily determined at the surface by means of aconventional gauge G. The driller. knowing thatthe rise in pump pressureindicated closure of the port 8; knowing that the ball and port mustnecessarily be on the lower side of ,the well bore; knowing,' further,the direction in azimuth which the well bore inclines; and knowing,stilt-further, the angular relationship of the port 9 with respect tothe deflecting tool,. it is merely necessary to turn the string or therotary table each time a pressure rise occurs, the driller may quicklydetermine whether or not the orienting device is functionsimilarly tothe construction shown in figures 1,

inc pr perly.

' described structure. The ori The circulation valve I6 is held inits-closed position by the spring I3 with suflicient force that anappreciable rise in pump pressure occurs before the circulation valve I6 opens. When the pump pressure exceeds thisamount, circulation isestablished through thedeflecting tool, irre-.

chamber 23. The upper side of the partition 22 is fiat, except for itsmargins which are rounded materially. An orienting valve 24 rests uponthe partition 22. The orienting valve 24 is in the form of a relativelylarge, heavy ball, the radius of which is substantially equalto theradius of the curved margin of the partition 22. This when the orientingvalve .24 fits over the port 26 it substantially closes the same, asshown in Figure 4.

r 22, at the upper, side of which is formed a valve The valve housing 2Iis provided with a key pin I5 which fitsin the keywa I, as in the firstthe position 01' the port with respect to the defie'c'ting tool may bedetermined;

gport 26 oc-..

The upper end of-the valve housing 2| is covered by a circulating valve21, similar to the circulating valve I6, having a bore 28 therethroughand a reduced upper end in which is formed a valve face 29. The upperend .of the housing I, in the modifled-construction, receives aback-flow valve shell 30 in place of the adapter head I9. The back- 4fiowvalve shell 30 is provided with a throat 8| at its lower end inwhich is secured a valve seat insert 32 adapted to coact with the valveface 28. Above the throat 3| the shell 30 is enlarged to form a shoulderwhich constitutes a back-flow valve face 33. The back-flow valve seat 33is divided by an annular distributor channel 34 which is intersected bya plurality of passages 85 leading downwardly therefrom, around thethroat 3| and intersecting the lower end'of the shell 30 so as tocommunicate 'with the channels 3 of the body memvberI.

- The enlarged portion of the valve shell 30 above the back-flow valveface receives a back-flow valve in the form of a short cylinder havingan internally flanged lower end, forming a valve element 31 adapted toengage the valve seat 83. The

The construction shown inFigure 4 operates back-flow valve is providedwith a central opening additional internal .threads adapted to receivethe Y tubing .'r.

2 and 3 in that, as the orienting port 26 is rotated to the lower sideof the inclined well bore it moves under and is closed by the orientingvalve 24. With this arrangement, continued movement of 5 the tubingstring past this position immediately opens the'valve so that the tubingstring may be turned first one way; then the other, until the driller isconvinced, from the action of the pressure gauge associated with thepumpingsystem,

' ,10 that the port 26 is truly opposite the lower side ofthe well bore.V

Theback-flow valve structure and the entire shell 30 may be employed inconjunction with either of. the orienting valve structures,- that is,

5 the housing 30 may be mounted above the orienting valve housing 5 inplace of the adapter head IS. The purpose of the back-flow valve is to.permit ready inflow of the drilling mud, or the like, as the tool islowered into the well bore. The

back-flow valve, however, closes when the pressure within the tubingstring exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the well bore so that it inno manner interferes with the orienting valve.

Though I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, Ido not wish to be limited thereto, but desire to include in the scope ofmy invention the constructions, combinations and arrangementssubstantially as set forth in the appended claims. Iclaim:

. 1. -The'combination with atubing string and a well tool requiringorientation, of an orienting device comprising: abody member having avalve chamber therein; a valve port intersecting said chambereccentrically; and a gravity actuated valve member freely movable insaid chamber adapted, when 'said body member is inclined and rotatedyto.close and open said valve port, whereby the position of said bodymember, when said port 40 is closed, may be determined.

2. The combination with a tubing string, a means for introducing apressure fluid into said tubing string, and a well tool suspended onsaid tubing string and requiring orientation, of an orienting devicecomprising: a body member; a

, gravity responsive valve element therein tending,

' when said body member is inclined and rotated, to assume an eccentricposition indicative of the lower side of the body member; and a valveport incorporated in said body member adapted to coact withsaid valveelement when a predetermined point on the periphery of said body memberrotates to the lower side thereof.

3. The combination with a tubing string, a

means for introducing a pressure fluid into said tubing string, and awell tool suspended on said tubing string and requiring orientation, ofan orienting device comprising: a tubular body member interposed betweensaid tool and tubing -string; a first valve element incorporated in saidbody member and rotatable therewith, said first valve element positionedeccentrically with respect to said body member whereby when said bodymember is inclined and rotated, said first valve element changes itselevation; and a gravity responsive second valve element adapted tocoact with said first valve element when said first valve elementreaches an extreme elevation to indicate by alteration of fluid-flowthrough said body member the orientation of said body member and .thetool therebelow.

4. The combination with a tubing string, a means for introducing apressurefiuidinto said tubing string, and a well tool suspended on said;

tubing string and requiring orientation, of an orienting devicecomprising: a tubular body member interposed between'said tool andtubing string and having an eccentric valve port oriented with respectto, said tool; and a gravity actuated valve member for, coaction withsaid port when said body member is rotated, while inclined to alter thefluid-flow in said tubing string, thereby to signal when said valve portbears a predetermined relation with the low side of said inclined bodymember. a

5. The combination vwith a tubing string and a well tool requiringorientation, of an orienting device comprising; a body member having avalve chamber therein; a valve port intersecting saidchambereccentrically; a gravity actuated valve inember freely movable insaid chamber adapted, when said body member is inclined and rotated, toclose and open said valve port, whereby the position of said bodymember, when said port is closed, may be determined; and relief valvemeans operative irrespective of said gravity actuated valve to permitcirculation through said body member to said tool.

6. The combination witha tubing string, a means for introducing apressure fiuidinto said tubing string, and a well tool suspended on saidtubing string and requiring orientation, of an orienting devicecomprising: a tubular body member interposed between said tooland tubingstring and having an eccentric valve port oriented with respect to saidtool; a gravity actuated valve member for coaction with said port whensaid body member is rotated, while inclined to alter the fluid-flow insaid tubing string, thereby to signal when said valve port bears apredetermined relation with the low side of said inclined body member;and a relief valve operative when pressure of said fiuid exceeds apredetermined value to establish circulation through said body member tosaid tool, irrespeclower end of which is inclined, in a known disurefluid into said tubing string, of a gravity 0 responsive orienting valveincorporated in said tubing string to alter the flowof pressure fluidwhen said orienting valve is rotated into a predetermined relationshipin azimuth with the in- .clination of said tubing string; and a reliefvalve responsive to pressures above a predetermined value to establishcirculation through said tubing string to said tool, irrespective ofsaid orienting valve.

9. The combination with atubing string, the lower end of which isinclined, in a known direction, a tool suspended therefrom and requiringorienting, and means for introducing pressure fluid into said tubingstring, of: a gravity responsive orientingv'alve incorporated in saidtubing string to alter the flow of pressure fluid when said orientingvalve is rotated into a predetermined relationship in azimuth with theinclination of said tubing string; a relief valve responsive topressures above a predetermined valve to establish a circulation throughsaid tubing string to said tool, irrespective of said orienting valve;and a bypass valve for permitting flow of fluid into the lower end ofsaid tubing string, irrespective of said orienting valve.

10. A method of orienting well tools, characterized'by: determining thedirectiom of inclination of a well bore in the region at whichdeflection is desired; running a deflecting tool and a gravityresponsive pressure operated orienting device therein, rotating saidtool slowly; noting by changein pressure the position in azimuth of saiddevice and tool; said deflecting tool.

and thereupon operating 11. A method 0: orienting well tools;characterized by: determining the direction of inclina-

